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Gatwick delays: Planes leave without passengers' bags Gatwick delays: Planes leave without passengers' bags
(32 minutes later)
Planes have been forced to take off from Gatwick without passengers' bags after a technical fault.Planes have been forced to take off from Gatwick without passengers' bags after a technical fault.
A breakdown of the baggage belt has also led to long queues at check-in desks at the airport's North Terminal.A breakdown of the baggage belt has also led to long queues at check-in desks at the airport's North Terminal.
Passengers face flight delays while others will arrive at their destination without luggage, the airport confirmed, apologising for "any inconvenience". Passengers face delays of more than five hours, while others have arrived at their destination without luggage.
EasyJet, one of the affected airlines, said passengers' bags would be returned "as soon as possible". Gatwick apologised for "any inconvenience" and said engineers were working to resolve the issue "as quickly as possible".
Passengers reported delays of more than five hours, with queues at check-in of up to an hour. Yasmin Karabasic, who landed in Dubrovnik, Croatia, to learn her bags had been left behind, said: "It's a bit of a nightmare".
"We got to Gatwick at 5am and it was chaos. The staff had no clue what was going on."
Having run to meet the plane, the trainee lawyer said she had "no idea" her bags had not been loaded and was assured by the pilot that all luggage was onboard.
"We landed and thought, can this day get any worse? Everyone was just happy we had got to the flight and made it."
Ms Karabasic, from Portsmouth, said her family and around 30 other passengers appeared to have no luggage, including a couple on their honeymoon.
Sue Tranter, who was due to fly at 08:00 BST, said she had been transferred to a 12:20 flight, which is now due to take off at 14:15.Sue Tranter, who was due to fly at 08:00 BST, said she had been transferred to a 12:20 flight, which is now due to take off at 14:15.
She said: "It's a shambles. EasyJet do not seem to know what is going on and so far we have only had one employee apologise to us."She said: "It's a shambles. EasyJet do not seem to know what is going on and so far we have only had one employee apologise to us."
Gatwick said engineers were working to resolve the issue "as quickly as possible". In a statement, EasyJet said: "Any passengers who have missed flights because of the resulting congestion at bag drop are being offered free transfers to alternative flights.
"Any passengers who have missed flights because of the resulting congestion at bag drop are being offered free transfers to alternative flights," EasyJet said.
"We are both working closely with the airport team to minimise the disruption and return luggage to our passengers as soon as possible.""We are both working closely with the airport team to minimise the disruption and return luggage to our passengers as soon as possible."
Has your luggage been left at Gatwick airport? How is this affecting your travel arrangements? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.Has your luggage been left at Gatwick airport? How is this affecting your travel arrangements? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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